Battle of Kurmuk
The Battle of Kurmuk was a battle that was part of the African Resource Rush. The battle was carried out by a joint task force of Chinese and American forces on a Russian base on the South Sudan-Sudanese border near Kurmuk. The battle led to the dissolution of the Pacific Peace Alliance and allowed the pragmatic General Aleksandr to gain fame back in Russia. Background The African Resource Rush was a geopolitical powerplay between the superpowers of Earth, as they carved up Africa and took control of its territories in neo-colonialism to further their goals. China landed in the northeast, America in the south, the ECA in the north and west and Russia in the southeast. The Global Liberation Army held a sizeable portion of land in Central Africa, referred to as 'The Zone'. In the northeastern central sector, around the Kurmuk border region, tensions between Russia, China and the GLA were on a steady rise since the conflict started. To secure their interests in the region, Russian President Nikolai Suvorov allowed one of his generals, Nikita Aleksandr, to establish a forward operations base near Kurmuk. With the base he also built what appeared to be a missile silo for unknown purposes, presumebly nuclear. A recon detachment from the North Sudanese Army reported on the find (they had not been made aware of the base) and the news spread quickly. Most notably, the governments in Beijing and Washington were furious at the find, but Moscow denied any involvement using nuclear weapons in Africa. To further add fire to the flame, spy satellites had reportedly confirmed the silo while also sighting other strange weapons being constructed in the base. China and America called for an emergency meeting, that ended with the creation of the Pacific Peace Alliance (or PPA). They sent an ultimatum to Russia forcing them to remove the base or face the consequences. Russia didn't respond. China and America gathered their forces and prepared for Operation 'Double Tap', the assault on the facility. Course of the battle The Chinese task force, consisting of Red Guard auxiliary divisions, Type-88G tanks and ZTZ-200 tanks, led the frontal assault on the base's main gate. A forward recon post had been established the night before. The U.S. Marine task force consisted of M5A1 Crusader tanks, M10 Paladin IIs and several lighter vehicles, supported by detachments from the Air Force. The plan was to let the Chinese soften the Russian defenses in the south and lure more of their forces there, while the Americans infiltrated the base from the north and destroyed it from the inside. However, as the Chinese prepared to break the Russian defenses, the silo doors opened to reveal a gigantic artillery cannon with four individual barrels. The Chinese were determined and still moved forward, but the cannon started firing, completely obliterating the Chinese assault force. What was left of it tried to mount a further desperate attack, supported by reserve tanks that had not been considered necessary during planning. The Russians destroyed them, one by one. Simultaneously, the U.S. Marine forces, led by General Jeremiah Bradley, remained oblivious to the failed Chinese attack, believing the explosions to just be regular tank fire. Air strikes had already ruined most of the Russians' northern defenses, leaving Bradley and his tanks an easy entrance-way. F-117 Nighthawk bombers also supported the attack. But, as undeterred as they were when they began, once inside the base the Russian Shock Divisions surrounded them and destroyed them. Bradley himself was lucky to escape alive. The attacks continued in smaller numbers for several more hours, but the Russian defenders - not with incredibly strong morale - were able to defeat them every single time, all while the new superweapon continued firing at the attacking forces. In the end, the operation was called off and the Chinese and Americans pulled back. Russian scouts also reportedly sighting GLA units present at the battle, observing from afar, although this is disputed. After Russia retreated from Africa, the abandoned facility became part of the Zone, and the GLA regularly looted the place, even turning it into a small outpost. The Chinese reclaimed it after what was called the Second Battle of Kurmuk, but they found no use of the base and abandoned it. This time however, the GLA did not return. Aftermath With many soldiers dead on either side of the PPA, both parties agreed to dissolve the alliance and never speak of it again. They were lucky Suvorov didn't declare full-scale war, as a war between the three superpowers would be extremely costly for all sides. Nonetheless, the U.S. and China were left crippled for a time in the African theatre. They regained their strengths gradually, while Russia lost its. The attack on Kurmuk was a sign to the Global Liberation Army that the superpowers had begun warring again, so they started mounting offensives against the Russians. Soon, they were forced to retreat from the African theatre because of the GLA, plus the pressure coming from their then-allied East African Confederation. The PPA was dissolved but both China and America kept close ties with each other. They still had reasons to hate and distrust Suvorov and his Russia but they did not outright support each other. China did not assist Russians with their retreat from Africa, which worsened their relationship even more. In Africa, General Aleksandr and Rapid Deployment General Orlov had been stationed there, and because of their heroic actions gained more publicity in the Federation. In the United States, General Bradley was pardoned for his disastrous attack on the Russian base, even though he himself believed it to be a complete failure. In China, however, the as-yet-unknown commander of the task force was discharged for his incompetence. Gallery ChinaForces.jpg|Chinese attack forces TremorFiring.jpg|The Tremor firing AmericaForces.jpg|The USMC assault force GLASighted.jpg|The GLA observing the battle Category:Battles Category:Lore